This Turmeric and Black Pepper Chicken is always my go-to chicken dish to eat with brown rice when I miss my mother’s food but want a quick and healthy Asian chicken recipe. It is one of the simple and delicious chicken recipes with common anti-inflammatory ingredients that everyone can make within 15 minutes.
Cook with me!
About this turmeric and black pepper chicken
The chicken is lightly marinated with turmeric, pepper, and salt, sizzling with carrots, green beans, and sliced onion and garlic. I give them a splash of tamarind, adding a little citrusy caramel for more umami sauce, coating the chicken and vegetables.
What is Tamarind Sauce?
Tamarind sauce or tamarind paste is a guilt-free sauce or condiment that I believe everyone should have in their pantry if you often cook chicken and want to make it healthier. It is great with other ingredients as well, adding some citrusy taste to the dish.
Natural tamarind sauce is packed with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It is commonly used in Southeast Asian cooking as well as for traditional medicinal purposes, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia.
💡 If you don’t have tamarind sauce, scroll down to see the ingredient swap.
Why you’ll love this turmeric black pepper chicken.
- It is easy to make and takes only 15 minutes.
- It is nutritious and delicious. Cooked with black pepper and turmeric, the well-known anti-inflammatory superfood duo that is beneficial for health.
- It is flexible to eat, as a side dish to rice, bread, and noodles, or as its own
The ingredients, notes & substitution
Tamarind – This sauce is an important ingredient to make this turmeric and black pepper chicken caramelly and sticky. It adds a subtle sourness and umami flavor. Tamarind is also commonly used in Asia to wash away the fatty chicken smell apart from adding a slightly acidic taste to the dish.
Substitute to tamarind: Due to the sour taste, lemon juice will be a great substitute. Note that the lemon juice will only substitute the slight sourness and acidic taste, not the caramel texture it gives to food. To add caramel texture, mix 1 tbsp of lemon juice, half a tbsp of corn flour with 2 tbsp of water and stir them together.
Where to find tamarind: Asian market.
Chicken – Choose a chicken part of your choice, it works both with thigh or breast. If you prefer it with less fat and low calorie, choose the breast part. It’s healthier with less saturated fat. Cut them in small fillet instead of cubes, this way, the chicken cook easier when it’s flatter
Turmeric, pepper, and salt – This is the main seasoning combination you don’t want to miss, Season them with chicken before you cook them. This will let the chicken absorb the seasonings better.
Onion – Feel free to use any type of onion. Sweet onion will increase the sweetness of the overall meal; it is juicier and has a less strong onion taste.
Garlic – Garlic is another superfood in this recipe, I suggest slicing it thinly, but if you don’t like to chew it, dicing it thinly will make the difference.
Substitute for fresh garlic: Garlic powder. For this recipe, try to use 1/2 tsp to 1 tsp of garlic powder and adjust according to your preference.
Green beans – Green beans do bring a texture to the meal. Feel free to use any type of green beans you like. In this recipe, I use flat beans
Other beans you can use – String beans, French beans, long beans
Carrot – The carrot adds a hint of sweetness and crunchy texture to this meal. Cut them into medium sticks. If you like them crunchy, add them later so they cook in less time.
Other vegetables you can add to this turmeric black pepper chicken with ginger
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Peas
- Sliced ginger
- Broccoli
- Bell pepper
How to make turmeric and black pepper chicken
1. Season the chicken with turmeric, pepper, and salt before prepping the vegetables.
2. Pour oil into a non-stick pan, and cook the chicken until both sides are no longer transparent under medium to high heat. Cook the chicken until it’s no longer pink.
3. Add the cut vegetables and stir to cook for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Pour the tamarind paste. Continue stirring until the beans turn slightly transparent, about 2-3 more minutes. If the chicken dries, consider covering them with a lid and reduce the heat to low to let them steam and vaporate for 1 minute.
5. Turn off the heat and serve warm.
Other chicken recipes you might be interested
Storage
Store in an air-tight container for not more than 4 days. Heat it in the microwave whenever you want to eat. If you make it for meal prep, best to portion them first before storing them in the fridge.
What to serve this turmeric chicken with?
- Brown rice
- Quinoa
- Noodle
- Bread
Turmeric with Black Pepper Chicken
Course: MainCuisine: AsianDifficulty: Easy3
servings5
minutes10
minutes979
kcal15
minutesThis chicken recipe contains anti-inflammatory ingredients: turmeric, black pepper, and tamarind sauce. Cook with healthy fat and vegetables, it’s a perfect complete dish if you are looking for a simple recipe to eat alongside your choice of carbs.
Ingredients
400g chicken fillet
1 carrot – Julienne cut
1 pack of French beans / 100g – Trim the ends
1 big onion – Slice
3 Garlic – Thinly slice
1 tsp of turmeric powder
1/4 tsp of ground pepper
1 tsp of salt
1 & 1/2 tbsp of avocado oil
1 tbsp of tamarind paste
Directions
- Marinate the chicken with turmeric, black pepper, and salt for around 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables.
- Add oil to a pan, add the chicken, and sear them on medium heat until they are no longer pink. Flip and stir when necessary.
- Add onion, garlic, carrot, and French beans, and cook and stir until they are soft, for about 3 minutes.
- Add tamarind paste, continue stirring for a couple more minutes or until the carrot soften.
- Turn off the heat and serve while it still warm.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Since we cook with less fat, I suggest using a nonstick pan so it won’t result in a sticky surface and burning the ingredients.
- For the chicken to be juicy and not dry, cook on medium heat so the chicken cooks slowly. You can also cover the pan with a lid and let the chicken absorb the steam by cooking on low heat for a while.
🥣 Did you try this recipe? Let me know your thoughts in the comment below.
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